By Andrew Lei ‘27 and Rishab Manian ‘27
The warm glow of fluorescent lights. The smell of good food, dressed almost too nicely to eat. The lively chatter of the crowd – brothers and sisters of Bellarmine, sharing a meal and bonding over common memories.
It was an unforgettable experience. On September 25th, Bellarmine hosted their Salute to Service Dinner, a private, traditional event preceding the Friday Sacred Heart football game that gave all members a special chance to reflect, re-commune, and reignite school spirit.
Mr. Arnold, Bellarmine’s Director of Development and beloved football coach, took to the gathering with a fiery passion – warmly welcoming every guest who stepped through the double doors, helping attendees settle in with good food while eating very little for himself, and speaking powerfully above the lively ambience of the large restaurant about school values.
Perhaps more than anything, Mr. Arnold mentored eight young, slightly out-of-place students through the night – members of the Veterans Club, a newly established student effort on Bellarmine’s campus, and what became our first touchpoint with the people we were trying to serve.
Very quickly, we from the Veterans Club realized that along with great food and friendly staff, we were just as welcome as any other guest. Grant Vermeer – Bell alumni, distinguished Naval Academy graduate, and D1 basketball athlete – came up to us and asked about life at Bellarmine. A mother of a Bell from the Class of 2025 told us about her son’s nascent time in college. Mr. Arnold introduced us to countless other people and made sure we were well fed.
But the Veterans Club wasn’t there just to soak up the good memories and decadent dining. We had a mission to establish: to bring lasting recognition to Bellarmine’s diverse and noble service alumni.
We shared our goals to the supportive audience that night. Next April, standing on Bellarmine’s 175th school anniversary and the 250th anniversary of American independence, we’re hosting the first student-led alumni dinner on campus, bringing together hundreds of alumni, inviting guest speakers, presenting our year-long student efforts, and unveiling a plaque to enshrine all attendees in lasting legacy.
Throughout the school year, we’re delving into a feature film, a series of crafted interviews that bring together the voices of five to six different veteran alumni, hailing from different time periods and backgrounds. We’re hoping to learn more about what service means to them, how Bellarmine has shaped their path, and what they’ve gone on to do beyond their school and military years. With Mr. Arnold’s extensive knowledge of the field, we’ve assembled a list of amazing former Bells to interview – including Grant Vermeer, mentioned above, and Ming Chin, who made history as California’s first ever Asian Supreme Court Justice.
We’re also putting together an interactive remembrance map of Bells who died in service in major events like World War 2 and the Vietnam War. As we step into new territory and dig back layers of Bellarmine’s past, we’re hoping to shed light on and remember the individuals who truly defined the school’s mission of living and serving with leadership, meaning, and brotherhood.
We were grateful to attend events like the Salute to Service Dinner to solidify our purpose and learn more about the cause we were serving.
Perhaps what stood out most was the series of speeches that Mr. Arnold and Coach Diaz-Infante gave after the dinner. Upholding the dinner’s title, a “Salute to Service,” they recognized three different military veterans and shared their noteworthy stories with the rest of the audience – Grant Vermeer, Jim Bannister, and Mark Geist.
Mr. Arnold and Coach Diaz-Infante warmly praised the honorees, got some laughs from the crowd, and solidified their commitment to Bellarmine’s mission of raising men for and with others. Then, they invited Grant, Jim, and Mark up to speak. Each of the former Bells shared their life experiences and profoundly acknowledged Bellarmine’s role in shaping them as individuals.
All in all, the dinner seemed to last an entire day. For the eight of us from the Veterans Club, it was a fulfilling event packed with insight and inspiration – from Mr. Arnold to Grant Vermeer, getting to meet and bond with these individuals was a one-of-a-kind experience. Moreover, it’s only the beginning; leading up to our dinner in April, the Veterans Club will continue building on our efforts to recognize Bellarmine’s alumni veterans.
We reached out Mr. Arnold; as an uplifting mentor, leader, and good friend to many Bells on campus, he kindly shared some further words in an interview with the Bell Online.
How did you become involved with Bellarmine’s various alumni service members?
It actually started when I first got to Bellarmine in 2019; we had a two-fold event with a retired Navy SEAL who spoke at the senior networking luncheon, and then later that night had him speak to our alumni. It was a really poignant discussion, and as part of that, he talked a lot about veterans and the challenges they were experiencing after their service. And I think that’s what really sparked my interest – that these people are selflessly dedicating themselves to our country, and they’re coming back with some pretty significant challenges, both mentally and physically.
What stands out the most to you in your history of such work?
It’s really the value they put in, brotherhood, and they all talk about something bigger than themselves and servant leadership. There’ve been so many moments that have stood out, and what I find is that they really embody the ideals we talk about in Bellarmine – humility, selflessness, and leadership. Those three things really always jump out at me.
How was this year’s Salute to Service Dinner, and what do you hope individuals can take out of it?
The idea of doing something for others in the public arena is what makes us a better society, and it was largely the theme of the dinner. It was all about people who care so much about others. The dinner is all about highlighting the importance of public service, and in some respects, that’s been diminished in recent years. Nowadays, the military and various service careers are purely volunteer-based. Oftentimes, therefore, we’re disconnected from what they’re doing. With the Salute to Service, we begin to highlight their heroic qualities and understand the challenges and precarious situations they’ve put themselves in to serve our country.